Lesson Plans & Activities
Lesson Plans
Migration Science and Mystery
Lesson plans on shorebird migration for K-12 students. And don’t miss the complete learning adventure!
Today’s Temperature
Elementary students learn to read a thermometer and record daily temperatures. Page links to a daily record sheet.
Reason for the Seasons
Students in grades 2-5 use polystyrene foam balls and light bulbs to investigate the sun's intensity on the surface of the Earth.
Seasonal Haiku: Writing Poems to Celebrate Any Season
Students in grades 3-5 learn the technique of haiku and write a winter poem.
Can You Haiku?
A four part unit for grades 3-5 on the reading, technique, and writing of haiku.
Learning Lesson: The Shadow Knows I
Elementary students measure the length of their shadows and compare them three to four months later to discover seasonal changes. Part II lets students calculate the circumference of the earth using shadows.
Modeling the Seasons
Students in grades 5-8 make Earth globes to model the seasons. Lesson includes teacher tips and two downloadable formats: Word and PDF.
ICS –Clouds
In this module, students in grades 5-8 investigate how clouds affect temperature and five other aspects of clouds.
ICS - Precipitation
In this module, students in grades 5-8 investigate clouds and precipitation.
ICS - Weather
In this module, students in grades 5-8 investigate weather, precipitation, and extreme weather.
The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies
Students in grades 5-8 create a map to illustrate the fall migration of monarch butterflies.
ICS - Winds
In this module, students in grades 5-8 investigate how wind affects climate.
ICS – Energy
In this module, students in grades 9-12 investigate how energy absorption and water affect temperature.
Snow Goggles
In this lesson, students in grades 6-8 build snow goggles similar to those used by the Inuit.
Glacier National Park: "Hibernation-Migration Fascination"
Students in grades 7-12/ compare two different types of hibernation – the hibernation of bears and marmots.
Games & Activities
Paper Snowflakes
Illustrated instructions and an instructional video for making paper snowflakes.
Winter Storms
Information and a brief quiz for upper elementary students.
Winter Math Activities
Mathematical activities involving fractals.
Your Sky
Use the interactive planetarium of the Web to produce sky maps for any time and date, viewpoint, and observing location. Students and teachers can also set horizon views and use a virtual telescope to track comets and asteroids.
